Corinne DeCost

I was recently included in a fun assortment of summer-themed goods to try. I was so pumped to try all of these goodies, and am proud to present many reasonably priced and ethically sourced goods to you all!

Mike & Ike Sour-Licious Zours: Intense Fruit $1.99 in stores only

Mike and Ikes ARE a PETA approved vegan candy. I can’t imagine any reason this new version would not be. That’s a huge plus. I tried these with an assistant who found the lemon flavor to be far too bland and mistook the watermelon for a plain sour orange type flavor (I did the same). Sour cherry is objectively the best, and they knew that, they gave us mostly those in the package. I think I liked the tartness of the sour green apple flavor myself. It’s a great movie date candy to share, may repurchase, but I’m usually more of a chocolate girl.

Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Tapioca Dry Shampoo $5.99

I absolutely adored this product. A dry shampoo is a dry shampoo, but this formula is nice and fine, smells wonderful (like warm vanilla), and is cheaper than my go-to dry shampoo. As a blonde, I no longer have to worry about white cast on hair, but this comes out so fine that I doubt it would take much more than a swipe of a hairbrush to get that out. Not Your Mother’s is an entirely cruelty free brand, and as described on their website is “not tested on animals – only by our human staff.” I will definitely repurchase.

 

Tree Hut Exfoliating Mud Mask Detoxifying Charcoal $11.24

To me, all masks are the same. Did this feel nice on? Eh, it kind of burned like charcoal masks tend to. Did it feel nice coming off? Yes. Was my skin any different? Not really, but probably a little refreshed. I like doing masks but I’ve never been stunned by the result of one. I wish the instructions came with an exact amount of time to keep the mask on, and I wish it didn’t come with exfoliating beads. The charcoal was enough of something to put my skin through. According to the Ulta Website, this product is cruelty-free, which I like. Other than that, it’s sort of a replaceable mask.

Nature’s Origin Lavender Roll-On $6.99

1% of the proceeds from sales of this product are donated to 1% For the Planet, an organization that supports thousands of nonprofit organizations that work to upkeep a healthy planet and environment. The product is not tested on animals, which always gains points from me, and the packaging is made with tree-free paper. I am incredibly impressed with the amount of product that is received for the price. With some roll-ons, I find myself frustrated because I cannot see or tell if the product is being dispersed. With this, it is immediately visible on the skin and quickly absorbs in. The scent is long lasting, and the rollerball very travel-friendly. Highly recommended.

Sinful Colors Professional Nail Enamel in Erotik $14.49 for the set

In celebration of equality, love and freedom, SinfulColors has created 6 limited edition nail polish shades inspired by the colors of the iconic rainbow that represents not just gay rights but equal rights for the LGBTQ as a whole. I’m loving this PRIDE collection. But why on earth did I get stuck with this color? Glitter orange, what does that even go with? Oh well. I wore it with blue. Orange and blue works in the summer right? I did like the color itself – the polish was smooth, the glitter was abundant, and I liked the rainbow glitter in addition to the orange. Sinful Colors is owned by Revlon, which is not a cruelty free brand and DOES conduct animal testing. For this reason, I would not repurchase on my own.

The scent of this product could be overwhelming to some, but I found the vanilla fragrance charming and reminiscent of the Kylie Cosmetics lip kits (which I assume was the inspiration behind this liquid lip). If I were to venture a guess, Lover is likely an attempted dupe for Kylie’s Posie K from the original line. With Kylie’s lip kits coming at $29 a pop, this is a steal, though Kylie’s brand is vegan & cruelty free and has the added bonus of a lipliner with the liquid lipstick. Maybelline, as I’ve previously stated, is not a cruelty free brand. Before I went cruelty free, however, it was one of my all-time favorites – it holds up extremely well for drugstore.